Tag Archive | "Edward Cullen"

Unless you live under a rock, or avoid Facebook and teenage girls all together you may be blissfully un-aware of the Twilight phenomenon, it began with four books that spawned five films and a legion of loyal fans known only as twi-hards. These fans ranging from the forgivable thirteen year old girls to the slightly worrying middle-aged women have allowed the books and the critically ridiculed films to earn millions because they do not seem to care about the bad acting and story development as long as Edward says something vaguely romantic every couple of pages. Most people, including me, are glad to see the back of it and with its conclusion what will happen to the Twilight infected youths left in the wilderness after the mania fades away?

If you haven’t read the books here is a summary, the story focus’ on Bella Swan, a dull and infuriating protagonist stuck in-between a glittery vegetarian vampire know as Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, a shirtless and irritating werewolf. Throughout the novels Bella fights many foes, mainly the Volturi, a coven of entertaining and well-dressed vampires led by the evil Aro, who is fabulous and a light reprieve from the other vampires in the story who kill very few people and try to live ‘normal’ lives. Girls worldwide, specifically in America, became so obsessed with Bella’s on-going struggle between two attractive men that a film was placed into production and the first instalment ‘Twilight’ was released in 2008. The cast of the films is led by the forgettable Kristen Stuart as Bella Swan, whose biggest achievement is an affair with her Snow White and the Huntsman director and an acting style that features only one facial expression. She is backed up by Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, know for portraying the doomed Cedric Diggory in the fourth Harry Potter film. And although his acting style suggests that both he and Stuart have the same teacher he is the only member of the cast who is willing to express his dislike for Twilight and its fans as often as he can. The trio is completed with Taylor Launtner as Jacob Black, he isn’t really famous for anything else and he takes his shirt off in the films more times than he actually speaks.

Finally this November saw the end of these films, its loyal fans flocked and camped to catch a glimpse of their heroes at the premier before they saw the saga conclude, many were clutching books for the stars to sign or just refusing to lessen their grasp on Robert Pattinson so he could get it all over with. I have had the misfortune of seeing every film and as the credits rolled in my local cinema many twi-hards were left looking lost, at least when the books concluded they had the films to quench their thirst and the looks on their faces reminded me of how I felt when Harry Potter finished, although the magic has never truly ended. For a brief moment I sympathized with them but then I remembered the quality of literature and film they had chosen to become obsessed with and those feelings faded.

As a person who loved Harry Potter until the very end I can see the dilemma, where do you turn next? Do you give up your obsessions altogether and just enjoy films and books in a more human way or move on to another fanbase? I personally have been entertaining myself with the series’ The Hunger Games and The Mortal Instruments, all with films coming out and their own dedicated fanbases which this time, I am not a part of. I just wonder if these fans will grow up and accept the end, or clinch at the terrible films their favourite stars will eventually choose to do in the future; as well as re-reading the books and watching the films again all in the hope to regain the magic they once felt. Or the teens could just wait until they are older and read 50 Shades of Grey, as that is based on the Twilight story and is equally badly written with a dreary protagonist, but who knows?

“Everyone’s just like, ‘Oh, it’s such a fairytale romance.’ And it’s just like this seems like a nightmare!”